American Nitrile, a newly launched company based in Columbus, Ohio, said Sept. 8 that it is opening a nitrile glove manufacturing facility that will be able to produce more gloves than any other domestic nitrile glove-manufacturing facility in the U.S.
The company is in the process of retrofitting the plant, which will be located in a 527,000-square-foot facility that was previously a warehouse in Grove City, Ohio. Production is expected to begin early next year, and the plant will create 400 new jobs.
"American Nitrile's launch of its new manufacturing facility in the Columbus region is an example of enterprising Ohioans seizing the unprecedented opportunity to on-shore PPE production and rebuild the U.S. supply chain here at home," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a news release. "This cutting-edge facility will create hundreds of new advanced manufacturing jobs and produce essential medical gloves stateside with homegrown Ohio talent."
American Nitrile said the plant will help reduce U.S. reliance on other countries for medical supplies. Currently, less than 1 percent of U.S. demand for nitrile gloves is produced domestically, according to an analysis from IndustryWeek.
"Our research shows that demand for nitrile gloves will continue to grow post-COVID-19 not only in healthcare but also in hospitality, retail and other sectors. We have multiyear customer contracts in place and look forward to being the supplier of choice for healthcare, government and industrial," Jacob Block, founder and CEO of American Nitrile, said in the news release.
Read the full news release here.